Revenge is Sweet
by Speedoverpower
Summary: When Aysa Cloudsinger and her friend Jiawn Ironbrew come across a human held captive by the Horde, they break him out. As a thank you he then makes an oath to protect each of them with his life. This man shares Varian's extreme hatred of the Horde for everything they have done to his life. But soon they find themselves on diplomatic missions to each Horde capital city.
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N) Alright everyone; in honor of the new expansion, here is an idea that I have had swimming in my head for a while now. Now before we start I don't own Aysa Cloudsinger or World of Warcraft both are owned by Blizzard Entertainment. I only own my OC characters and the plot. So here you all go. ENJOY.**

The Eastern Plaguelands; truly a scar to behold upon Azeroth. Dead trees, corrupted wildlife, and the mindless undead that lumber about the forest. The sounds one could hear were either the winds blowing or the hungry moans of the scourge. Now if one could focus hard enough you could see two Pandaren moving along the main road. The first was a warrior named Jiawn Ironbrew; dressed in a suit of full plate mail and two great swords at his back. Plus, to show off his allegiance he was sporting the Tabard of Stormwind. The other was a monk named Aysa Cloudsinger, leader of the Tushui Pandaren. She was in her traditional monk blue leather garb and a Bo Staff in her hands. These two had been good friends since they were cubs on the wandering Isle. Jiawn was the only friend that she had left since Ji had thrown his lot in with the Horde. But she was glad she at least had Jiawn to talk to. As they continued to make their way towards their destination, which was at the moment, unknown to Jiawn; the only sound they could hear was the crunching of leaves underfoot. It brought a calming feeling to Aysa but it was slowly driving Jiawn insane.

"So tell me Aysa, where exactly are we headed?" Aysa turned to face her very impatient friend.

"Lights Hope Chapel; we can rest there for a while before we take a Gryphon back to Stormwind." He nodded his head and started to rub his plated stomach.

"Well I hope we get there soon because I'm starving." Aysa got a good laugh out of that.

"Jiawn you're always hungry." Jiawn turned his head to look back at the road.

"I know that, besides, these humans have some really good food; not as good as Pandarian foods mind you, but still quite good." Just then Aysa's eyes shot open and she motioned for her friend to stop.

"What is it, what's wrong Aysa?" Without a word she pushed her friend into the bushes and dove in with him. "What was that for?" Then she clamped her hand over his mouth to keep him quiet. He could only get out muffled 'mmpf' sounds while she tried her best to settle him down. After he struggled for about five seconds he could hear the reason that she wanted him to be quiet. He could hear the sound of an approaching Kodo. If they were in northern Kalimdor that would have been normal, but then again; they weren't in Kalimdor, so that could only mean one thing; Horde supply convoy. As the sound of Kodos came closer, they were able to see they convoy's occupants. It was rather small with only two of the beasts hauling chests strapped to the sides of the kodo. There were only four guards, two Kor'Kron and two Deathguards. So that could only mean that their final destination would be the Undercity. They had intended to let the supply line past and keep moving along, but then they saw something that made Jiawn quite angry.

It was a human, tied by his hands to the back of the rear Kodo. The only thing he was clothed in was his black leather trousers. He was covered in cuts and bruises, no doubt from being roughed up quite a lot from those mongrels. His short brown hair was matted with dirt probably from being dragged through the mud; he was showing sign of dehydration and malnutrition. But his blue eyes showed ample defiance, he refused to let this break his resolve. After a few seconds of studying him he tripped and was being dragged by the Kodo yet again; one of the Orcs broke off from the line and grabbed him by the back of the neck. "On your feet and keep moving Alliance pig." The human lifted his head and spat in the Orcs face. The orc wiped the spit from his face and swatted the human with the back of his hand, which sent him back on the ground. The orc grabbed him again. "I said GET UP!" After the human got on his feet, he looked at the orc.

"When I get out of this rope, I'm going to kill you myself." He said with a voice that was quite threatening. All of the guards promptly let out a laugh, and then the Forsaken Deathguard walked over to their human prisoner.

"Let's see if you can keep that defiant attitude when we hand you over the Apothecaries. Just think, soon you shall serve the glorious Dark Lady." The human then glared daggers at the Forsaken.

"I would sooner slit my own throat before I serve the Litch Queen." The Forsaken glared back at him.

"You would do well to watch your tongue when you speak of the Dark Lady human." The man then let out a short laugh.

"Your 'Dark Lady' whore will soon fall before the might of the Alliance. I'll see to it that I'm the first to drive my dagger into her corrupted, black heart." The undead then slugged him across the face.

"Nobody talks that way about the Banshee Queen." He then began to promptly beat him until he got bored. Even during this whole process of being beaten, the human didn't even acknowledge the pain, he continued to show defiance. After they had their fun they proceeded to continue on their way towards the Undercity. Jiawn could take no more of this, he grasped both of his swords and was about to remove himself from their cover before Aysa stopped him and half whisper and half yelled.

"What are you doing, are you trying to get yourself killed?" Jiawn gave her an incredulous stare.

"I'm doing my duty as a citizen of the Alliance. You know as well as I do what those things will do to him if we just let them go. Besides, we both made a promise to King Varian when we joined the Alliance that we would protect his people as well as our own. Now you can either stay here and hide or help me because I'm going to save that man." He then stepped out of the bushes, drew his blades, and shouted at the top of his lungs "FOR THE ALLIANCE." Aysa shook her head at her friend's rashness but in the end, resolved to help this human as well; it's what Master Shang XI would have wanted her to do.

As Jiawn began to charge into battle, the orc furthest from the human spotted him first. "LOK'TAR OGAR ALLIANCE SCUM APPROACH, KILL THEM BROTHERS." Just as the orc had drawn his battle axe, Jiawn was upon him already attempting to bring one of his swords down on the orc's head. But the orc had managed to heft his axe up just in time to block his attack. But what the orc forgot to see was the other sword in Jiawn's grasp. After the orc blocked the strike, Jiawn stabbed the horde solider clear through his gut.

It was at that point that Aysa finally managed to make it to her friend's side, just in time to block a strike from a forsaken short sword. After catching the blow she turned her attention on the brute who would dare attempt to strike her friend. With a quick study of her opponent she concluded that this one like to keep his shield low to stop any lower area attacks. So without wasting a second, she jabbed the undead solider in the throat causing him to lose focus; then she began a barrage of fist strikes on the forsaken's chest that were too fast to see, after which she finished with a strong kick to the side of the guard's head, completely severing it from his body. After the undead fell to the ground in his second death, Aysa glanced over her shoulder to see that the guard who had originally struck the human was about to lop her head off. She just barely managed to dodge to the side before the axe struck its intended target. After she regained her footing, she took two of her fingers and jabbed them on several pressure points on the orc's body, paralyzing him.

Jiawn was still occupied with the last remaining guard, who was proving quite the challenge for his skills. He knew that Aysa would not interfere because, like all Pandaren, they believed in honorable one on one fighting. Each time that he swung his swords, the forsaken would counter his move with either his shield or blade, Jiawn knew that he would get nowhere if he continued to fight like this. After a brief second of thought he came up with an idea; he pushed his face towards the undead and roared as loudly as he could muster. The forsaken dropped his shield to cover his ears; Jiawn took that opportunity immediately and cut the undead in half at the torso.

After a quick rest they realized the reason they had attacked these people in the first place. They made their way over to the human and proceeded to cut his bindings. Without a word he staggered over to a chest that was strapped to the side of the lead kodo and fished out a dagger. Aysa noted that this dagger was of Pandarian design; she now was very interested in learning more about this person. When the human managed to make it back over to the orc, who was still stuck in his paralysis, he just stared at him, as if he was waiting for something. Then the orc managed a few words out of his mouth. "For… the…. Horde" He managed to get out of his mouth. Then, with that, the human swiftly stabbed him in the heart with his dagger. Then while the orc was dying the human moved his face close to the orc's and said.

"Told you." After that, he passed out and landed face first in the dirt, the exhaustion finally getting to him. Jiawn and Aysa were currently standing over his unconscious body. Jiawn was the first to speak.

"Well that wasn't so bad." Aysa nodded her head in agreement.

"We need to get him to 'Lights Hope Chapel' and get him some medical help; Jiawn, you can carry him." Jiawn gave her a slightly surprised look.

"Why do I have to carry him?" She raised one of her eyebrows at him.

"Because, you can carry two swords that are almost as long as you are in each hand, I doubt carrying one human would give you much trouble." Jiawn sighed and hefted the human onto his shoulders.

"How much further do we have to go to reach this chapel?" Aysa pulled out her map.

"We still have a few miles to go. But we are almost there. Look, if you focus you can just see it from here." Aysa then put her gaze back at the man's dagger, still covered in orc blood in the passed out human's grasp. It had a blue hilt and the quillion looked like it was made from pure gold, plus it had a very intimidating serrated edge. "That's a very interesting dagger, do you think it belongs to him." Jiawn put his hand to his chin.

"Well he knew where it was stored initially, so my guess is yes." Thinking about her friend's words she went back over to the chest that was still strapped to the kodo. In it, she found a matching dagger and a set of leather armor. The hood and mask were of a red color with a few gold markings in them, and the rest was mix of red and black coloring.

"This is too small for an orc to wear, so this is definitely his. I say we take these things with us and ask him about it later." Jiawn nodded.

"Whatever gets us out of here faster Aysa. Now can we go already?" Aysa laughed at his impatient ability.

"Alright fine, let's go." As they continued on the road towards Lights Hope at a running pace so they could get the human help as quickly as they could. After around ten minutes of running they finally came upon the front gates. A trio of Paladin were the first to spot them; and upon seeing the human on Jiawn's shoulder one of them shouted.

"Someone call a priest, these travelers have wounded." They promptly handed over the human to the care of the paladins as they brought him inside the church. The one paladin that remained at the door greeted them.

"Well met Pandaren. Welcome to Lights Hope Chapel."

**(A/N) There you have it my first chapter. Tell me what you thought. But here's the thing; if you want specifics on what the equipment the rouge was using I'll tell you. The dagger is called the 'Dagger of the Seven Stars' and the armor is the 'Bloodfang' armor** **set. I will probably start the next chapter tomorrow. If you have any ideas please send me them, they will not be ignored. **


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N) Alright I have another chapter for you. Here's hoping that I can keep up the ideas. So without any more delay, here you go.**

Highlord Tirion Fordring had just arrived at Lights Hope Chapel from Hearthglen via mage portal. When he received word that two Pandaren had gone out of their way to rescue a human from certain death, he was impressed, and was arriving there to commend them and give them the blessing of the light. This was the first time that a Pandaren had any sort of interaction with the Argent Crusade; plus, he was hoping that maybe that they would be interested in the special assignment he had to offer; perhaps the human they brought would be interested as well. But first, he had to ensure that he was healed properly. As he strode inside all the paladins gave him a salute.

"Please, back to your business." Then he was approached by a high elf.

"Highlord, the human is resting over in the room at the end of the hall, I am certain that your help will be invaluable." The Paladin nodded his head quickly and made his way down the hall. When he entered the room he saw that the human was in a state of unconsciousness, he was covered in cuts and bruises, possibly a few broken bones, and he was malnourished. Tirion reached for his prayer book that he kept in his left pauldron, kneeled before the bed, and uttered several prayers to the light. He didn't really need the book at all; after countless years of reciting them over and over again, the words were permanently burned into his mind. He was really just using it for the hell of it. As he began reading the room began to fill itself with a bright glow, the man wounds began to close, and his malnourishment was corrected by the light's cleansing power.

The human awoke with a few harsh coughs. "Where am I?" Tirion put his prayer book away.

"You, my friend are at Lights hope Chapel. You were passed out when the two Pandaren brought you here." The man's eyes shot open.

"Where are they? I owe them my thanks." Tirion put his hands up in a calming gesture.

"They are outside, awaiting word on your condition; they said they had a few questions to ask you; as do I." The man calmed down some.

"Ok, what do you wish to ask?"

"First off, what is your name?" The man put a proud look on his face.

"My name is Dante Duskblade sir." Tirion nodded his understanding.

"I see; do you know the Pandaren that brought you in?" Dante shook his head.

"No Highlord Fordring, I do not." Again, Tirion gave a nod.

"Then tell me, what happened to you?" Dante expression turned into a scowl.

"I was in Andorhal aiding the Alliance resistance effort to take back the city until we were overrun by the Horde. They seemed quite content with killing the men I served alongside, but they seemed to want me alive; apparently to turn me into another one of the Banshee Queen's vile abominations. I was hanging on by a mere thread when those two Pandaren broke me free." Tirion had his hand on his chin as he listened.

"I see, well the Pandaren who brought you hear are, as I said, waiting for you to recover. Your armor and weapons are in the chest at the opposite end of your bed." Dante swung himself out of bed, and after getting back to his feet after tripping again from the slight weakness in his legs, opened the oak chest to retrieve his armor and his array of armaments. Which consisted of his two daggers, five throwing knifes, and a vial of homemade poison used to envenom his blades. After finishing with his gear, he pulled down the hood and mask so his rescuers could see his face; for the moment. He always liked the seclusion that his mask brought him; it hid his face from others gazes.

After exiting the infirmary he was greeted with a very warm welcoming sounding voice.

"There you are; it's good to see that you are ok." Dante turned his head to the source of the voice. It was one of the Pandaren that had saved his life. In fact, it looked like he had seen her before. He was searching his memory while he was walking towards her. Then it hit him; she led the Tushui Pandaren when they joined the Alliance some weeks ago.

The talk of Pandaren swearing allegiance to the Alliance was swarming all over Stormwind in a matter of minutes. Dante was in his normal seat in the dark corner of the Dwarven District inn when he heard the news. At first he thought it was the biggest lie he had ever heard; the Pandaren were about as neutral as you could get. There was no way they would wish to draw themselves into their war. Then he heard a commotion outside the inn. It was a large group of several hundred Pandaren wearing tabards with their own version of the Alliance symbol. Up at the front of this group was the same Pandaren girl in front of him currently, looking quite calm in her expression while her group was making their way towards the keep. It was safe to say that he believed the rumors now.

As Dante reached the Pandaren woman he knelt before her. "I owe you a debt of gratitude, to you and your friend. Tell me, what is your name?" Aysa was quite surprised that this man had just kneeled before her. In response she gave a respectful bow.

"My name is Aysa Cloudsinger; the one over there stuffing his face with that large pile of food is Jiawn Ironbrew." Indeed there was a Pandaren clad in warrior's armor practically cleaning out a meat vendor of his supplies and pretty much just shoving all of it down his throat. Dante wasn't sure if he should be impressed or disgusted by his manners; for right now, he would go with the former rather than the latter.

"I see; well then; my name is Dante Duskblade, last of the Duskblade bloodline, at your service m'lady." Aysa was happy that this man was taught some decent manners when he was young. It was at that moment that Jiawn made his way back to Aysa, still holding on to a steak.

"I see that our new friend has finally awoken. It is good to see you, my name is Jiawn Ironbrew." He said with a proper bow. Dante smiled.

"I cannot thank you both enough for what you have done; I must find some way to repay you." What was a small awkward moment for the Pandaren was a moment that Dante spent deep in thought. He couldn't give them gold, considering he spent most of it on repairs for his armor, weapons, and his horse. He thought for around two minutes until he had the perfect solution. "I know, are you two in need of a traveling companion?" Jiawn took the news with a smile.

"It would always be nice to have a new friend keep us company, isn't that right Aysa?" Aysa was currently in complete in agreement with Jiawn over the entire matter. She was only all too eager to accept him as a friend.

"Of course Dante, we would be delighted to have you join us." Upon hearing this Dante then held up his palm at neck level.

"Then I, Dante Duskblade, swear on my life that I shall protect both of yours with the best of my ability." After swearing his oath, Tirion appeared as if out of nowhere behind the group.

"I see that you have all become acquainted with one another, all the better. The light always guides people closer towards better days." Aysa then mumbled under her breath.

"I still don't know what 'The Light' is." Tirion didn't seem to hear her mumble and continued.

"Now if you don't mind, I have a job offer that you three might be interested in." Dante appeared interested.

"A rogue never says 'no' to a contract. So tell me, what is it?"

"We are in need of diplomats for the time being, what with the excitement of the discovery of Pandaria only a few weeks ago, I am in need for reliable diplomats for the Argent Crusade." Jiawn was the next to speak.

"Why is it that you need us for?" Tirion grew a serious expression.

"We need to negotiate with the Horde to see if they can put off their aggression with the Alliance temporarily to help heal the land of Pandaria." Dante's grin immediately vanished.

"Tirion let me ask you a question. ARE YOU INSANE?! The _whole_ reason the Alliance is currently in Pandaria is to cleanse it of the Horde. You know that the Alliance wishes to make peace with the natives. But, if we let the Horde just run rampant; they'll burn down the forests, take over Pandaria, and slaughter every civilian that denies Garrosh's Horde. In addition, if we even try to make nice with those barbarians we end up with events like the Wrathgate." Both Jiawn and Aysa were thinking the same thing.

"_What's the Wrathgate?"_ Even while they were deep in thought, Dante was still continuing his rant.

"One more thing, do you really expect any of the Horde to listen to you? Especially, during these hostilities, what makes you think that they won't just slaughter us the second we walk through the gates of Orgimmar?" Trion was remaining calm through this entire outburst. He had actually expected it almost immediately after he explained why he was injured.

"That is because you won't be going as Alliance; you all will be going as Argent Crusade." Dante still appeared angry, but after a few VERY deep breaths, he turned to look at his new friends.

"What say you on this matter?" Aysa had a serious look on her face.

"I am in agreement with the man in the shiny armor." Tirion's smile shrank.

"My name is Tirion." Aysa gave an apologetic smile.

"Even with these current situations we cannot just turn a blind eye in this war to our ancestral homes pain. Even if this effort might be fruitless, we have to at least try." Dante's eye twitched slightly but he bowed his head in defeat.

"Very well, since I'm the odd man out, I will go along with this plan Tirion. But this had better not just be a waste of our time." Tirion's smile grew back after hearing that they would accept the diplomacy mission.

"Very well; we have no need of you all at the moment, I shall call for you when the time is right. I can arrange for you all to travel back to Stormwind if you wish." They all nodded and Tirion called for a mage to open the way for them all.

As they stepped through the portal they wound up in the mage tower in the greatest city in the Alliance. Dante then turned to his friends after pulling his hood and mask up.

"If you ever need me, you shall find me in the inn in the Dwarven District in the darkest corner. It's where I like to go to clear my mind. Feel free to join me to talk or whatever it is that you wish. Until then, I bid you farewell." He then turned around to walk away. He then turned his head back.

"Oh and thank you again for all that you have done. When the time comes for us to done the mantle of the Crusade, I shall protect you all with my life." He then disappeared in the shadows. Aysa and Jiawn looked at each other.

"Wow," Aysa began, "He is quite interesting. I'll be sure to stop by and learn more about him later. But until then I must return to my duties, see you later Jiawn." After which she ran off into the woods as well. That just left Jiawn there, standing by himself.

"Why is it that I'm always the only one left over in these kinds of situations?"

**(A/N) There you have it, another chapter for you all; I hope that you enjoyed it. As always send me your ideas in a review or a PM, they won't be ignored. Have a great day. **


	3. Chapter 3

**(A/N) Alright, I got another one for ya. Hope this one is to your liking as well. I have quite a few ideas for when they start on their journey to the Horde capital cities. So either way, read and enjoy. One more thing, I have an important message to all of you at the bottom when you are finished with this chapter.**

Three days had passed since Aysa and Jiawn had rescued Dante and had been tasked with the eventual visits to the Major cities of the Horde. Aysa had just finished her duties that involved leading her people within the Alliance; which was mostly just writing until her paws went numb, then a few hours of meditation. After she had finished, her thoughts turned to Dante. She still had so many questions that she wanted to ask, but couldn't, because of their quick departure from the Plaguelands. She had figured that now was as good a time as any. _"Where did he say that he would be again?" _Aysa asked herself as she walked into the bustling city streets of Stormwind. As she continued to ponder her question she was mindlessly walking through the city streets. "_Oh that's right; he mentioned the Dwarven district inn." _

As Aysa walked into the massive crowd that the 'Golden Keg' had to offer, she was greeted with quite the pleasant sight. The Pandaren were fitting in very nicely with the denizens of the Alliance. There was another one of her monks that was currently in a drinking contest with a dwarf and a human, there was another Pandaren behind the counter of the bar helping to distribute ale; and there was a dark figure in the corner trying to wave her down. _"Wait; hold on a second, that's Dante."_

"Aysa, I'm over here." He called in a very calm and monotone voice that she was surprised that she could hear over all this loud banter in the bar. When he said that he would be in the darkest corner in the bar, he wasn't kidding. This area was practically devoid of light, the material that his armor and hood were made out of blended in perfectly with the blackness, the only time she could see him was when he moved. She thought he looked really creepy. But the way he talked quickly put any of her worries at ease. "It's good to see you again Aysa, I was afraid that you had forgotten about me." He said in an obviously fake, hurt tone of voice. Aysa laughed at his joke.

"After what you've been through, it would be an insult to just forget you." Dante smiled when he heard her say that.

"That's always good; so tell me, what brings you here?" Aysa put her arms on the table.

"Well," Aysa began. "I was hoping that you could tell me more about yourself." Dante put his hand to his chin.

"Ok, where should I begin? I was born here in Stormwind; I was trained by the SI:7; I served in the Outlands, Northrend, and was part of the first recon team into Pandaria. It was a privilege to spill a combination of Horde, Burning Legion, and Scourge blood in the name of our king." Aysa couldn't help but feel a bit unnerved with that last sentence, but she wanted to delve deeper.

"You mentioned that you were the last of your family; if you don't mind me asking, what happened to them?" Dante pondered the subject for a minute or so.

"Ok then, it's a touchy subject, but I guess you might as well hear my full story. My father died defending Stormwind from the Orcs during the first war. I lost my mother when Southshore was plagued by the abominations known as the Forsaken." He then closed his eyes, as if to hold back tears. "I also had an older brother named 'Marcus'. He was a headstrong warrior; my brother and I were always together, we were a team; He may have been a bit disappointed when I joined the SI:7 Academy and not the 'Imperial Guard Academy'. He thought that the Rogue was the path of thieves and cowards at first. But he eventually learned that rogues can be just as deadly if not more so than a warrior. We served in the same unit when we were deployed to Northrend. I lost him to the Forsaken plague during the battle of the Wrathgate." Now Aysa did some asking around after their time in the Plaguelands, so she knew full well of the traitor Putress and his using of the forsaken plague on the Alliance and Horde in their attempt for vengeance and all out slaughter. She looked back at Dante who was still trying to hold back tears of sadness, but all of a sudden his facial expression turned from misery to anger in a second.

"They never found his body, they say it dissolved in the toxins, we had to put an empty coffin in the ground. After I gave him a proper good bye, I made a promise to him that every piece of Horde trash that I killed, would be for him. As I cut each of their throats and watch the life drain from their faces, I revel in their pain and loss, because to me, it means that's one less mongrel that will ever threaten another innocent life." Aysa felt that this man was the human version of Ji; he was so dedicated to avenging his brother that he was willing to kill all who oppose him. She didn't want this man to end up making careless mistakes like Ji that could threaten his life; she made up her mind that while they were on their quest, that she would teach him the ways of the Tushui. Maybe that way, he wouldn't end up killing himself and learn to let go of his pain, so he can truly be happy, and a little less psychotic. She didn't want to be rude to her new friend by questioning him any further, so she decided to change the subject.

"Have you seen Jiawn anywhere?" Dante's expression flipped immediately and pointed to the opposite end of the bar.

"He's over there." Over at the table furthest from the door was Jiawn, currently engaged in a drinking contest with a worgen, another warrior by the looks of him. "He came in about two hours or so before you did. We got maybe two minutes into our conversation before that Worgen challenged him to a drinking contest. Watching you Pandaren drink is one of the most entertaining things I've ever seen, Jiawn has enough alcohol in his system to kill a dwarf." Then, as if on cue, the worgen fell over, threw up, and passed out on the floor. Jiawn stood up, keg in hand, and shouted.

"VICTORY." Then he dropped his keg, and used his bar seat as a pillow and passed out as well. Dante laughed heartily.

"We may not have really talked, but that was damn funny." Aysa giggled.

"He always was the heavy drinker back on Shen-zin Su." Dante seemed interested in this new subject of the conversation.

"Well, since I've told you all there is about me, how about you tell me a little bit about yourself Aysa." Aysa smiled and was happy that Dante wanted to know something about her; it made the conversation much less one-sided.

As the rest of the Pandaren here; we were all born on Shen-zin Su. I studied at Master Shang Xi's school my whole life learning the ways of my ancestors." From what she could see of Dante, he looked interested; it was still very hard to see him in the dark.

"What exactly did you study?" Aysa's finally was able to get a better look at him in that dark corner he was in, he was anxious to learn everything she had to offer.

"I studied the ways of Tushui; my counterpart and once friend Ji Firepaw studied the ways of the Houjin." As she mentioned her old friend's name, her expression sank a little. Dante took notice of that.

"Was Ji important to you?" Aysa nodded her head.

"Aside from Jiawn, he was a good friend, we may have studied differently, but those differences brought harmony to each other. But I can no longer call him a friend; he decided to aid the Horde in their affairs, now I must consider him a enemy." Dante then got out of his chair, moved from the shadows, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I don't know how it feels when you have a close friend become your enemy; but I can only imagine that it hurts." Aysa took her gaze up from her lap and looked into his eyes; they were as blue as the waters of the pools that she would meditate by each day in her childhood. She was glad that someone was showing genuine concern for her, she felt very safe next to this man. Then everything that made this moment truly touching was thrown out the window when Jiawn finally woke up from his drunken slumber and tried to sit down next to Dante.

"See, I told ya I would win." He said, with slurred speech. Dante just pat him on the back and rolled his eyes.

"Yep, you sure showed him Jiawn. Remind me to never challenge a Pandaren to anything that involves alcohol." Aysa broke out into a fit of laughter; this day couldn't be better; she had cemented a bond with a new friend, and they had learned much about one another.

After a few hours of talking they were surprised to see a portal open up in the middle of the bar; a human of the Kirin Tor stepped out and when his gaze found Dante, made his way over to their table. The mage was undeterred from almost everyone in the bar staring at him as he reached the table.

"Dante Duskblade, Lady Jaina Proudmoore has requested to see you immediately, if you would please follow me." All were still surprised with the current situation, but Dante rose from his seat.

"I'm sorry for leaving you like this my friends; I shall catch up with you when my business with Lady Jaina is concluded." He then proceeded to follow the mage through the portal leaving Aysa confused; Jiawn was still too drunk to care about anything at the moment so he just put his head on the table and began to snore, quite loudly. So loud in fact that Aysa had to cover her ears from the noise he was making. After putting a large barrel over his head to stifle the noise, she began to recollect her thoughts. The only one that she could get out was just.

"What just happened?"

**(A/N) Now that my friends is another chapter for you all. Now I Have something to ask of you; I'm going to have two more people join Dante, Aysa, and Jiawn on the quest. One is going to be a Paladin of the Argent Crusade, the other a Death Knight from the Knights of the Ebon Blade. What I need from you is what they will be. Send me either a review or a PM with you suggestion. They must have the following NAME, RACE: (They can be any race Horde or Alliance that are able to be Paladins or Death Knights), GENDER, WEAPON OF CHOICE, and PERSONALITY. I will read all of your suggestions and I will choose the best one and implement them into my story. Thank you and have a great night.**


	4. Chapter 4

**(A/N) Here I am with another chapter for you all. I realized that I have yet to show you how our human friend handles himself in a combat situation. Well let's rectify that shall we.**

One could say that the majesty of Dalaran far surpassed the cities of Azeroth in terms of beauty. But today was an exception. All anyone could hear was the clashing of weapons and the cries of the injured and dying, and the streets were running red with blood. The cause of all this commotion was the Sunreavers and the Silver Covenant; they were currently engaged in a total war all over the city. This was a battle that the Sunreavers didn't seem likely to win as the Silver Covenant was being backed by the rest of the Kirin Tor.

Dante stepped through the portal that the mage had created for him that opened up in the Violet Citadel, blissfully unaware of what was happening in the city. Upon the closing of the gate he could hear the exchanging of blows and rushed to a window to find out what exactly was going on. As Dante continued to look over the carnage of the city, he could hear someone coming up from behind. Turning around quickly, he saw it was only Jaina Proudmoore along with a few High Elf escorts. "Hello Dante, it is good to see you again, I'm glad to see that you have responded to my request." Dante acknowledged her with a nod and turned to look back over the carnage.

"Lady Jaina, what is going on?" Proudmoore's face contorted into one of anger.

"We are ousting the Horde from Dalaran." Dante turned to her with a smile on his face that was concealed by his hood.

"It's good to see that you've finally come around Jaina. Might I ask what brought this change of heart?" He asked as he began to walk closer towards her.

"Have you heard of an artifact called the 'Divine Bell'?" Dante put his hand on chin for a moment.

"Yes I remember the reports written by Brann Bronzebeard. Created by the Mogu many years ago, had the ability to turn a normal army into rabid killing machines once rung. What about it?" Jaina stepped closer to a table that was off to the side.

"The Horde is in possession of it now." Dante's eye widened.

"WHAT?! HOW?" Jaina began to scan a few of the papers that lined her desk, then she looked back up at Dante.

"Actually, the Alliance was the first to find the bell, it was already on its way to Darnassus to lock it away; but the Horde managed to ambush the party carrying it. We have discovered that the Sunreavers aided the Horde in stealing the bell. We offered them two choices: Give themselves up and be sent to the Violet Hold, or resist and die by the sword. There were a few that complied and gave up, but the rest are outside fighting to the death. That is where you come in. I have heard of your heroic behavior in the Northrend campaign, as well as that of Pandaria. I firmly believe that you are the correct man for the job; because this job requires subtlety, not bravado.

While we may have total control of the city streets, the Sunreavers have maintained a defense of the Dalaran sewer system. What I need you to do is to kill them all, no-one is to survive, is that understood?" Dante smiled again and did a quick salute.

"The Sewers shall run red with their blood my lady, on that you have my word." Lady Proudmoore gave a curt nod, and had her escorts open the door out into the city.

"Pathstalker Ralsir is currently waiting for you at the entrance to the sewers next to the Citadel." Dante then left without another word. Almost immediately after stepping outside the citadel, an arrow slammed into the door just about two inches from his head. Without missing a beat Dante pulled out a throwing knife from his cuff and tossed it in the direction of the arrow. After hearing the knife make contact with flesh he went over and yanked it from the Blood Elf's skull.

"That was a fine throw human." After turning his head to the left he found his contact 'Pathstalker Ralsir'. Possibly one of the very few High Elves in existence that have short hair and didn't really care about the way his hair looked. Dante gave his thanks and asked for the plan. "The Sunreavers have two main strong points in the Underbelly: the Tavern and the Arena. I also believe that Aethas Sunreaver is hold up in the tavern." Dante listened intently.

"Ok, in that case, I'll clear out the tavern, you clear the arena." Ralsir gave a quick salute and vanished in the shadows, Dante quickly doing the same.

Each of them had taken a different route towards their destination, but the objective remained the same: No Horde survivors. As Dante made his way through the halls of the Underbelly, which were surprisingly devoid of anything other than a few rats, "_They must all be hiding inside the Tavern_." He began to coat his throwing knifes in a mind-numbing poison, in case he ran into any troubling mages. Upon reaching the 'Cantrips & Crows' Tavern, his suspicions were confirmed. There were tables that were flipped over, barriers were set up, and archers were covering every conceivable angle in their field of vision. Dante quickly grabbed a rock and chucked it over to the other side of the path, making the hunters swing their gaze around to find the source of the noise.

As he quietly slipped through the small gap in the barriers he began the quiet slaughter. As he remained hidden in the shadows, he grabbed a Blood Elf patrolling the hallways, covered his mouth, dragged him into the corner, and slit his throat. After he left him in a nice concealed place he turned his attention to the hunters guarding the entrance. He snuck up behind the one of them, covered her mouth and buried the blade in her heart. After his prey's life had slipped away, he quietly put her body on the ground and moved on to the one next to him, quickly breaking his neck before he could alert the third and final one. Dante moved up to the last guard, took both of his daggers and buried them deep in the sides of the elf's neck.

After they had been dealt with, he figured that now would be as good a time as any to look for Aethas and end his miserable life. Keeping to the shadows of the dimly lit bar, he could hear something behind the counter of the bar. After jumping behind the bar, he found a female Blood elf, pathetically cowering under the table. Dante grabbed her neck and lifted her into the air, chocking her. Her body began jerking and gasping for breath that she just wasn't able to take in. She tried to pry his fingers from her neck, but all those years of wielding the daggers had practically turned his muscles into steel cord.

As her face began to turn blue she managed to make out the words. "I…..Surrender…..Please…..Stop." Dante briefly considered her request and promptly released his grip and let her drop to the floor. The second she hit the floor, Dante put his hand over her mouth to stop her from coughing and giving himself away to the sin'dorei still guarding Aethas. After she had regained her breath Dante knelt down to her level and said.

"You are going to make your way to the Violet Hold and turn yourself in. Rest assured, I will be checking the hold to see if you're there once this is all over, and if you aren't; I will hunt you down and finish what I started, do I make myself clear?" She could nod and quickly sprinted to the streets.

After she was out of site Dante went back to his original task of finding Aethas. When he slipped in the shadows he began to glide through the hallways rather than sneak. He was clearing out each room as he went along. Each of the rooms had at least one Blood Elf resting. Dante silently drove his dagger into each of their necks before moving on. Finally he reached the last room at the far end of the hallway. He put his ear to the doorway in an attempt to at least get a small hint at what he was getting at. After a few seconds, he heard a small buzzing noise coming from the other end of the door. When it finally came to him, Dante threw quiet out the window and slammed the door open with his shoulder. Sure enough it was confirmed. It was a Houjin Pandaren mage who had just conjured a portal for Aethas to escape through. Dante quickly broke into a sprint in an attempt to stop the leader of the Sunreavers from escaping. Two of Aethas's guards moved forward in an attempt to stop him, but Dante jammed his daggers up their jaws without faltering or slowing down. As they hit the ground Dante pulled out another throwing knife and hit the Pandaren in the arm as to prevent him from stopping him as well.

But before Dante could grab Aethas, he let out an explosion of arcane power directed completely at the rogue. As expected, when it impacted Dante, he flew clear across the room and crashed into a bookshelf. After a few minutes or disorientation, he regained his footing, only to find that the portal had closed, and Aethas had escaped. But that still left the Pandaren who had aided his escape, who was currently trying to pull off a teleport spell of his own. But with the combination of the poison in his veins, and a knife wound in his arm he just couldn't concentrate. Dante grabbed the Pandaren by the neck and brought his knife to his throat. "I should skin you alive and wear your pelt as a coat. But, with the severity of that offense, I think it's best that Lady Jaina decides your fate." He then took the hilt of his knife and brought it down hard in his head, knocking him out, and causing a small amount of blood to mix with his fur. Dante then switched his grip from the front of his neck to the back and proceeded to drag him out of the Underbelly.

When he made it topside, he found Ralsir waiting for him, covered in sin'dorei blood much like Dante was. He seemed puzzled with his new guest. "Who have we here?" motioning to the unconscious Pandaren. Dante looked down on his captive, pulled the mask down and spat on him.

"This Horde scum help Aethas escape, I'm taking him to Jaina to decided his fate." Ralsir looked upon the Houjin with hatred and contempt.

"Why don't we just kill the bastard now, I can make it nice and painful." Dante briefly considered that.

"I'm sure you could Ralsir, but let's see if we can't make it any worse, shall we." He then continued to drag him through the streets and up the steps of the Citadel until they reached the camber where Archmage Modera, Jaina Proudmoore, and Vereesa Windrunner were currently locked in a discussion. The doors burst open and Dante threw the Horde Pandaren at their feet. "This piece of Horde trash helped Aethas Sunreaver make it out of the city; I figured it would be best if one of you decided his punishment." Vereesa looked at him in complete fury. To her, this was her best chance of ridding Azeroth of that Horde scum once and for all, but this beast has just denied her the only chance she had in a long time.

"Take him to the Violet Hold and throw him in Lavanthor's cell." Dante's grin grew considerably under his hood, as he turned around and made for the prison of the Kirin Tor. When he was halfway there, the mage began to wake up.

"Oh my head hurts; what's going on?" He started to struggle when realized that he was being dragged across the streets.

"Your fate has been decided Horde dog, I'm merely taking you to it." He then proceeded to knock him out again.

After ten minutes of hauling the fat Pandaren he made it to Lavanthor's cell. It was hard to miss it, seeing as it was so large it took up and entire side of the building. The twenty foot tall, two-headed devil dog of the Burning Legion was currently sleeping quite peacefully. Dante had one of the guards deactivate the security crystal that held his barrier up and tossed the mage inside. "Dinner time boy, eat up." The high elf guard then closed the gates as the demon tore the Pandaren apart and ate him like a dog treat.

Dante didn't feel sorry for him in the slightest, he was horde, and killing them was duty and vengeance for Marcus. As he was beginning to walk out of the prison, he happened upon a familiar face. It was the Blood Elf that he nearly choked to death, locked in a cell. He stopped in front of her cell. "Good to see that those ears of yours still work, in time you will find this decision would be much more favorable to the alternative." He knew she couldn't hear him, but it seemed that she understood what he said.

As he walked out of the prison doors he mumbled to himself. "Maybe now, they'll let me go back to Stormwind; I'm anxious to get back to that conversation with Aysa and Jiawn."

**(A/N) There you go; I hope that chapter was to your liking. You all know where the review box is. As always, if you have an idea please share it in a review or PM, I promise they won't be ignored. Have a great day.**


	5. Chapter 5

**(A/N) Hey guys I'm back from doing whatever I may have been doing at the time to give this brand new chapter. Let's go ahead and get the plot rolling. **

Aysa and Jiawn were still at the same table in the 'Golden Keg' and hadn't really done much other than have a few drinks and make the occasional attempt at a filler conversation while they waited for Dante's return. It was a little tough with Jiawn being as hammered as he was.

Being raised in a monastery her whole life, Aysa was nothing if not patient; so she was able to sit quietly and wait for Dante to come back. Jiawn on the other hand, needed a few dozen mugs of liquid encouragement. The real reason that Jiawn had decided to join the Alliance with Aysa was mostly because the values they stood for: To keep Azeroth safe and keep the Horde's aggression in check. But he would be lying if he said his choice wasn't influenced by the stories he heard of Dwarven Ale just a little bit.

During his drunken reminiscing, he never noticed the portal opening back in the middle of the bar; again, causing a worgen to drop his mug all over himself. "ARGH! Why can't you just open up the portal in the mage district like everybody else?" A high elf was the first to step through the portal and turned to the Gilnean.

"Deal with it." Then spun on his heel and walked back into the portal. Dante was the next to walk out of the gateway of arcane energy up in the middle of Stormwind's most well-known inn. Blood from his recent Horde hunting session still remained in spots on his leather armor. He turned and thanked the Quel'Dorei for his assistance and took a seat back at the table without a word.

Aysa was at a slight loss for words when Dante returned. Not only had that portal just popped out of nowhere again; Dante's arms and hood had specks of blood on them that she was sure was not there when he left. Aysa put her arms up on the table.

"So how'd did it go?" She asked attempting to make a non-awkward conversation. Dante looked over at her and smirked. Though, she couldn't really see it because of his covered face, but she could catch the shift in his facial muscles either way. _"I really need to break him out of that 'wearing the hood all the time' habit, it's a little creepy."_

"It was, productive." To be frank, Aysa was hesitant to ask what he was actually doing in Dalaran. But she decided she would find out eventually, she had a feeling he would just sweep everything under the rug. Then she was broken out of her planning by another loud noise; apparently Jiawn had fallen asleep again in the table and started to snore again. The bigger problem was: it was even louder than when he was snoring the last time. Dante, Aysa, and the rest of the bar had to cover their ears from this ear shattering sound from the depths of hell. "Argh, does he always snore this loud?" Dante tried to yell over the snoring.

"Only when he's really drunk; believe me, while this may be loud, this is nothing compared to the things he's done on Shen-Zin Su." Aysa yelled out as well.

"I think we should get him out of here; we're starting to get some nasty looks from a few people in here. So Aysa hefted Jiawn up over her shoulder, Dante went up front to purchase a room for Jiawn while Aysa threw Jiawn over her shoulders and started her long trek up the stairs. Dante had dropped the room key in her hands and wished her the best of luck.

As Aysa was struggling to get Jiawn up the stairs she noticed her knees were slightly shaken. "Why didn't I volunteer to buy the room?" After ten minutes she triumphantly succeeded in her quest of hauling his fat but upstairs. _"Great fifty feet to go"_ She then began to drag him through the hallway towards the room.

After tossing Jiawn into his room and closing the door she heard a commanding voice behind her. "Aysa Cloudsinger, you, Jiawn Ironbrew, and Dante Duskblade have been summoned by the King; he wishes to speak with all of you immediately." After turning around, she saw one of Stormwind's many royal guards that dedicate their lives to protecting the high king of Stormwind. The strange thing was he was also holding a large bucket of water. "We figured that he had passed out from drinking from all the commotion coming from the bar for the past several hours, this bucket is his wake up call. The priest blessed this water, it should dissipate any toxins in his bloodstream and leave him perfectly sober." Aysa bowed in thanks and took the bucket from the guard.

"After all the trouble of hauling him up here I could have just dumped water on him; why do I even bother sometimes?" After entering Jiawn's room she immediately doused him with the entirety of the bucket. After a minute of listening to Jiawn cough and sputter he looked up to Aysa.

"What was that for, I was enjoying my nap." Aysa only rolled her eyes.

"I bet you were, either way, the king has requested our presence, and we had best not keep him waiting." After wiping the water away from his eyes, Jiawn crawled out of the bed that he had been laying on for no more than two minutes and shuffled out the door. The guard saluted Aysa.

"Dante has already been informed of his summons and is already on his way there." The guard then exited the bar to continue his patrol. As Aysa and Jiawn found their way out of the bar and into the blinding sunlight they began to wonder what exactly the king could want with them. Considering their luck, it was about their future mission with the Argent Crusade. Aysa was unsure of what exactly to be feeling at the moment; she didn't know if she should be proud that her king wishes to see her or a little frightened of what might happen. She knew of the Horde's cruelty towards her king by forcing him to fight as a gladiator in Orgrimmar when he was struck with amnesia and of his hatred toward them after his father was assassinated. The probability of him thinking her plan was a good idea was about as likely as Garrosh Hellscream crawling to Stormwind on his knees begging for forgiveness for his crimes.

She didn't realize that she had been subconsciously walking towards the keep the entire time and was now standing right outside the gate. After finishing her walk into the throne room she could see Dante on his left knee, kneeling at his king, after shifting her gaze around a little and scanning the room she saw that there were more than just guards in here. On her left Highlord Fordring was surrounded by his paladins and on her right a really ominous looking man with glowing blue eyes and pale skin was surrounded by several others of the same nature who brought a feeling of dread with their presence, along with a feeling that the temperature in the room had dropped by several dozen degrees.

She had actually had the pleasure (or displeasure) of speaking to a few of the Alliance Death knights during her stay in Stormwind, and she learned more than she expected each time she met a new one. Such as their battle lust, and their extreme resistance to pain. Most of the ones she had met still wondered why they were still here; the Litch King is dead, so there was nothing tying them down. The others she talked to were proud to continue their service to the Alliance and her people. But she was getting off topic, because during her inner monologue, King Wrynn had started speaking.

"I cannot fault you for following orders Dante; but the Alliance has suffered a serious setback because of your actions at Dalaran." Aysa didn't really like where this was going. Dante raised his eyes from the floor to look directly at the king.

"My king, what are you saying? Because of what Jaina and I have done, the Kirin Tor is in complete service to the Alliance. Wasn't that your goal from the start?" Varian pinched the bridge of his nose and breathed deeply through his nose.

"Yes but not like this Dante. We were beginning talks with the Sin'dorei to bring them back into the Alliance; with this attack against them we have driven them back to the Horde." Dante rose from his kneeling position on the ground.

"My king, they betrayed the Alliance. They shouldn't be allowed the privilege to rejoin us. They let the actions of one racist general cloud their judgment; and they made the mistake of flocking to the Horde. Even if they did return, they would just betray us again. I say, 'once Horde, always Horde'." King Varian closed his eyes, folded his arms, and took a deep breath. Right now Aysa was starting to put the pieces together. Apparently, Dante had attacked the Blood Elves at Dalaran and forced them out of the city. She couldn't really be angry at him because he was doing what was expected to do as a solider of the Alliance; that, and Jiawn probably would have done the same thing if he was asked to. After Varian reopened his eyes, he picked up where he left off.

"As much as I would like to continue this conversation, there is another matter that is much more important. Aysa, Jiawn, step forward please." Of course they both did so without hesitation. "It has come to my attention from Highlord Fordring of your attempt at diplomacy with the Horde." Aysa took another step forward and bowed.

"Yes my king, though we may be fighting a war to save Pandaria, it is in much pain, and from the stories I've heard of the Argent Paladins, I think they can help heal our ancestral home." Tirion took this as his queue to step forward from his guards.

"While I still have faith in this mission, I doubt that you all going by yourselves with would be the smartest idea. So Darion and I have decided to send with you one of our most elite warriors. Alria'nath, step forward please." The small crowd parted and a Blood elf in shining golden armor and Argent Crusade tabard, carrying a very long and reliable looking spear, and black hair that was styled in a long pony-tail stepped forward and saluted his lord and turned to his charges.

"It is an honor to meet you, my name is Alria'nath Raycaller but you can call me Alria if you wish. As per my lords instruction I will defend you all with my life."

The only thing that was running through Dante's head at the moment was_. "It had to be a_ _Blood Elf; it just had to be a Blood Elf."_ But he knew he had no say and kept his mouth shut. Then, as if the Sin'dorei heard his thoughts; Alria'nath walked up to Aysa, took her paw in his hand, and kissed it.

"It is also a privilege to meet such a beautiful Pandaren woman such as yourself Aysa." Aysa could feel her cheeks grow hot from this unexpected flattering compliment. As she searched from some intelligible words to answer with all she could find with a drunk sounding giggle.

Dante involuntarily clenched his fist until his knuckles turned white. _"Why does that piss me off?" _Then the crowd of Death Knights parted to allow their leader 'Highlord Darion Mograine' to pass through.

"Since Tirion has so kindly thrust this issue into my lap, I have decided to loan you one my finest knights; Kara, front and center!" Then as fate was enjoying seeing Dante squirm, an orc woman wearing some vicious looking dreadplate armor with an Ebon Blade Tabard, and very large and icy battle axe on her back, and long white hair marched forward. She hit her chest with her fist once and made a grunting noise and didn't say a word. "This is Kara Wrathhammer one my most efficient Death knights; I leave you in her care." Then without another word she marched her way towards the group and remained silent.

Dante was back to clenching his fists _"OH COME ON, SERIOUSLY, AN ORC?! THIS IS INSANE!"_ He was sure that if these words were coming out of his mouth and not remaining in his head, he would be deafening everyone in the room. Seeing that everything was in order King Wrynn nodded his head once.

"Good; now that the introductions are finished I want you to start your journey immediately. The farthest that we can send you is Ironforge, but I will be sure that there are horses and carts with food and any other supplies that are necessary are ready for you." Once Wrynn finished, Tirion immediately chose this moment to speak.

"I will be sending messengers to each city to inform them of your arrival. I will be going to Orgimmar myself to inform Garrosh. There is an old friend in the city I have been meaning to see for some time now" King Wrynn motioned with his hand and a mage came forth creating three portals. One on the left, one on the right, and the last portal was placed in the center. The left was bound for Lights Hope Chapel, the right was one back to the Ebon Hold, and the center was a basic Ironforge Portal. After the Paladins and Death Knights had departed, King Wrynn turned to the now party of five.

"I wish all of you the best of luck, make sure you all return alive." All but Kara bowed and stepped into the portal. After stepping out into Ironforge's Hall of Mysteries they were met with High Priest Rohan.

"Welcome to Ironforge; King Muradin was made aware of your need for supplies and is more than willing to provide. We will need a moment to gather them all." Jiawn then burst out the doors.

"Great because them I'm going to the nearest inn because I'm starving." Aysa could only cover her face with her paw. Despite his predicament, Dante burst out laughing.

"I may have completely expected that, but that didn't make it any less hilarious." Alria'nath raised an eyebrow and let out a chuckle of his own.

"From the stories I've heard of Pandaren should I come to expect this as normal?" Dante ignored him and went out the door. 'I'll just take the silence as a yes then; sheesh just trying to be nice." Kara merely grunted and followed the rest out into the city in the mountains.

**(A/N) Hey guys and there's another chapter from me. Sorry it took so long, but I promise there will be another one up by the end of tomorrow. The next chapter we'll get a little more on the new characters and a something else. Have a great night. **


	6. Chapter 6

**(A/N) Alright guys got another one for ya. But to anyone who doesn't know or may be wondering, Jiawn is an Alliance adventurer, while Dante still works for SI:7. One more thing; to those of you who believe that Dante is a racist. I can assure you that he most definitely isn't. It may seem like at times, but he's just acting as a solider of the Alliance. **

Lady Sylvanas Windrunner sat at her throne in what was once the capital of the human kingdom of Lordaeron bored out of her mind. She had nothing left to do other than ponder her recent failures. She had failed to keep a firm hold on Gilneas, but the blame with that failure lay with Lord Godfrey; and for that she hoped he would burn in hell with Arthas for the rest of time. Then there was the most recent failure to obtain a very valuable solider to her army: Dante Duskblade. Sure he was just one human, but he is the finest agent that SI:7 has to offer; possibly even better than Matthias Shaw himself. After all: Why should he serve them; when he could serve her?

She was informed of the manner of how he escaped from the clean-up crew. Somehow he managed to break his restraints and kill each guard surrounding him, all done while hungry, broken, and weak. While it may have angered her, it only made her want him more. He would serve her eventually; and the rest of Azeroth would follow soon after. While she continued to plan her next move she was interrupted by one of her Dark Rangers. Sylvanas look up to her with irritation clear on her face. "There had better be a good reason why I'm being bothered now." The Dark Ranger got on her knees in front of her in reverence.

"A thousand pardons my lady, but a messenger from the Argent Crusade has asked to speak with you." The Banshee Queen thought this over for a moment and decided that she had nothing important to do currently, she might as well.

"Very well, send in the messenger." The Dark Ranger rose from the ground.

"As you wish my lady." The undead elf turned on her heel and proceeded back to the door. About thirty seconds after she had left, a female sin'dorei with their traditional golden armor strode into her throne room. After a quick bow towards the queen she began speaking.

"Lady Sylvanas, Highlord Fordring has sent me to inform you of incoming Alliance diplomats that will be arriving within the next few days to negotiate a temporary cease fire with the Horde; the Undercity is the first destination." Sylvanas's hands gripped the edges of her throne intensely at the mention of the word 'Alliance'. One might think that she was going to snap the stone arms right off.

"You insult me. What makes you think that I would even begin to consider working with those Alliance cowards? What makes you think they aren't just a scouting party here to take back their precious Lordaeron?" The blood elf maintained a neutral expression.

"I assure you; they come here with peaceful intentions and only wish to negotiate. They will be under constant watch from not only the Argent Crusade but the death knights of the Ebon Blade as well." The Dark lady was breathing in and out through her nose fiercely, in a futile attempt to calm herself.

"Fine then, may I at least have the names of these so-called 'diplomats'?" The paladin reached into a small satchel on her hip and brought out a small scroll.

"There are three members of the Alliance in this diplomatic party; they contain two Pandaren and one human. Their names are Aysa Cloudsinger, Jiawn Ironbrew, and Dante Duskblade." Sylvanas' eyes shot open at the mention of that last name. Did she hear her correctly?

"I apologize but I think I misheard the name of the last one. Could you repeat that for me?"

"His name is Dante Duskblade, Lady Windrunner." Sylvanas couldn't believe her luck. The prize she had just lost was now immediately rolling right back into her lap. She could feel a devilish grin slowly spread across her face.

"Very well paladin, I will allow these diplomats in the Undercity. But they had better not cause a single ounce of trouble in my city or I will react accordingly, is that clear?" The Sin'dorei smiled.

"Completely Lady Windrunner; I will inform Highlord Fordring that the discussions shall proceed as planned. Thank you for your time Dark Lady." With a bow she left through the same doors that she entered.

Now the Dark Lady could barely contain the cold smile on her face. "Soon Dante, you shall be the deadliest solider in my army. Oh, maybe to prove his loyalty I can have him kill his companions. I like that idea." She began to strum her fingers on her throne and she began to 'plan' for her guests' arrival.

(Silvermoon City)

Regent Lord Lor'themar Theron couldn't stop angrily pacing through his throne room; he was absolutely furious. He was grinding his teeth and completely seething with fury. After Aethas had appeared in his throne room and explained of the Sunreavers forcible expulsion from Dalaran he exploded in pure rage. It took hours for him to calm down, but he was still at his breaking point, he seriously did not know how this day could get any worse. Halduron Brightwing: Commander of the Blood elven Farstriders was attempting to keep his lord calm while Grand Magister Rommath attended to Aethas's injuries.

"I can't believe the gall of that human witch; she has the audacity to push **MY PEOPLE** out of Dalaran for almost **NOTHING**! Not only is Garrosh throwing the lives of my people away like trash, but now, the Alliance can now move magi and the rest of their forces through Dalaran freely. When will the Alliance realize that the Horde exists because of the Alliance? Their constant prejudice and bigotry push us ever closer to Hellscream's damn Horde." Halduron took notice that Lor'themar was getting angry again.

"My lord, you must remain calm. Getting angry now will not change or solve anything." Lor'themar glared at him but nodded and took several deep breaths through his nose.

"Thank you Halduron." Just then a royal guardsman entered through the throne room doors.

"My lord, a messenger from the Argent Crusade is here to see you." Lor'themar's face contorted in confusion.

"The Argent Crusade, what could they possibly want? Go ahead and let the messenger through." The guard saluted and ushered in a male Draenei. After bowing in respect the paladin spoke.

"Regent Lord; I have come to deliver a message from Highlord Tirion Fordring." Lor'themar made a gesture for him to 'keep going'.

"Very well then, what message does Tirion wish for me to hear?"

"The Argent Crusade will be sending diplomats from the Alliance to negotiate a temporary cease fire to allow Pandaria to heal." At the mention of the word 'Alliance' Lor'themar felt himself losing control of his anger again. Suddenly, he snapped.

"**WHAT!? I WOULD NEVER EVEN CONSIDER THE THOUGHT OF LETTING THOSE BACKSTABBING BASTARDS IN MY CITY! NOT EVEN THREE HOURS AGO THEY OUSTED MY PEOPLE OUT OF DALARAN, KILLING DOZENS IN THE PROCESS, AND THROWING THE REST IN THE VIOLET HOLD, AND NOW THEY EXPECT ME TO NEGOTIATE WITH THEM? I WOULD SOONER DIE!" **The paladin flinched when listening to Lor'themar's angry rant but kept his calm demeanor.

"Regent Lord I assure you, this mission was set up several weeks before this unfortunate occurrence. They will be under close watch from not only the Argent Crusade but the Knight of the Ebon Blade as well."

Lor'themar had managed to calm down slightly but still had a large scowl on his face. "I do not care paladin, I trust the Alliance about as much as trust Garrosh. Either way, your crusades plan is flawed severely." The Draenei arched and eyebrow.

"What makes you think so?" Lor'themar sighed deeply.

"Even if the Horde and Alliance, by some miracle, were to stop fighting, there is the current threat of the Mogu and the Thunder King. They will refuse to rest until they have re-enslaved all of Pandaria. More than likely, if they succeed, they will move on to the rest of Azeroth." The paladin scratched his tentacle beard in thought. 

"I'm sorry but have not heard of this 'Thunder King', would you please explain?" Lor'themar shook his head and exhaled slowly. The entire room was silent for two whole minutes before the Regent Lord of Silvermoon brought his gaze from the ground,

"I have neither the time nor the patience to explain this to you." Lor'themar walked up to the Draenei and pointed his finger at him. "Let Tirion know that I will accept these diplomats only to prove that we are the better men in this conflict." Lor'themar got dangerously close to the paladin's face. "But if they do anything, and I mean anything, that may prove that their intentions are anything less than diplomatic, then I will deal with them accordingly, is that clear?"

The paladin nodded. "Absolutely Regent Lord; now if you will excuse me, I must return to Hearthglen." Lor'themar made a shooing gesture with his hand and went back to the grueling process of digging his people out of the hole they were currently in.

(Orgrimmar)

Highlord Tirion stepped through the portal into Grommash hold in Orgrimmar, expecting to find Warchief Hellscream sitting on his throne, but instead was met with sight of his blood brother Eitrigg, and a Pandaren male that he was not familiar with. He was covered in red leather and had a very interesting braided rope beard on his chin. Pushing the though aside he entered the throne room.

"Eitrigg, brother, it is good to see you again." The human and the orc embraced one another in a hug.

"Aye, it is great to see you as well Tirion. Tell me, what brings you here?"

"Well brother I came here hoping to speak to your warchief. I can see that he is not currently in at the moment." Eitrigg nodded once.

"Yes, Garrosh is currently busy in Pandaria dealing with current affairs." Tirion nodded in understanding.

"I see; either way, would you be able to relay this message to Hellscream upon his return?"

"Of course brother; what is your message?" Tirion produced a scroll from under his chestplate and handed it to Eitrigg. The old orc warrior scanned the parchment for several seconds before shaking his head slowly. "While I believe that your heart is in the right place brother, Warchief Hellscream's heart is not. I am completely positive that our warchief would completely reject this idea immediately." Eitrigg then darted his eyes around the throne room, to make sure none of the Kor'Kron were in current sight. "Plus, you should be glad that Garrosh is not currently here to speak to you. He has been talking about taking his revenge on you ever since the end of the war in the frozen wastes of Northrend." Tirion's eyes shot open in surprise.

"Excuse me? What could I have possibly done to offend Garrosh?" Eitrigg hung his head, like he was the one ashamed of the situation.

"Ever since the ending of your tournament, he has always been ranting of how you insulted the Horde's honor by not letting him slay the Human king." Tirion closed his eyes in annoyance.

"I made sure the tournament was neutral ground specifically for that reason, I didn't want petty hatred to destroy our best chance at taking down Arthas." Eitrigg closed his eyes in thought.

"He also hates you because you allowed his champions to be killed by the Alliance as well." Tirion let out a small prayer under his breath for the Horde champions that did in fact, lose their lives to the Alliance after Varian let out a public challenge to the Horde for making false accusations against them, and allowed Varian's champions to battle in place of his knights.

"While yes, it is tragic that they were killed; Varian made asked for a challenge against the Horde and the Horde lost. I wish that none of them had to die, but what's done is done." Tirion then shifted his gaze to the Pandaren next to Eitrigg. "How rude of me, I have completely ignored the rooms other occupant. I am Tirion Fordring: Highlord of the Argent Crusade. Who might you be?" The Pandaren bowed.

"Ji Firepaw: Master of the art of Huojin, at your service. May I ask what the content of that scroll is?" Eitrigg handed Ji the parchment and he began to read it all over. "Well, I'm open to the idea. I think it's great that the Alliance finally wants to talk things out. Who knows, maybe this temporary cease fire could turn into peace." Tirion couldn't help but have a smile grow on his face; it was truly a blessing to find members of the Alliance and Horde willing to talk things over. "One question Highlord Fordring: What are the names of these diplomats, so we can be ready to accept them?"

Tirion scratched his beard for a second, trying to grab the names from his memory. "Well Ji, I know that there are two Pandaren and one human that are part of this small circle. The human is named 'Dante Duskblade', while the Pandaren are 'Jiawn Ironbrew-"

"Wait" Ji interrupted", Jiawn? He's one of the diplomats? This is great news. I haven't seen him since I left the Isle. Tell me, who is the other?"

"Aysa Cloudsinger."

Ji felt all of the air leave his lungs when he heard her name. The one that got away; he remembered the day when he decided to join the Horde, he was crushed to find out that Aysa had wanted to join the side of those humans who had imprisoned those kind people. But Ji never knew the full story so he never really thought about the subject of why she chose the Alliance, when they could have been together in the Horde. "I-I see. Thank you Highlord; if you will excuse me, I need to train." Ji ran out of the throne room with lifted spirits, wanting to be prepared for when Aysa finally came.

Tirion watched the Pandaren leave and turned back to his blood brother. "I must leave now Eitrigg, let Garrosh now that my diplomats are coming whether he wants them to or not. If any harm comes to them or my knight escorting them. We will be forced to choose a side. Trust me, I really don't want to do that, but I will if I must." Eitrigg opened his mouth in an attempt to protest, but quickly closed it, realizing it was the right thing to do.

"I understand brother. I shall prepare a room at 'The Wyvern's Tail' for them; good luck to you brother." Tirion nodded back.

"Luck to you as well friend." He then walked through the same portal that had brought him here.

(Dalaran)

Lady Jaina Proudmoore had finally finished discussions and planning with Vereesa and Modera about the severe changes in Dalaran and the Kirin Tor. From now on, the Horde was no longer welcome in Dalaran, and the Sunreavers would never again taint this beautiful city with their lies and deceit. Time and time again, she gave the Horde the benefit of the doubt, and time and time again they stabbed her in the back; well no more, she was through holding their hand and vouching for them. Now she intended to mobilize the Kirin Tor against the Horde, Vereesa was kind enough to offer the forces of the Silver Covenant as well. In fact, she already had her first order of business to finish. She turned to one of her High elven escorts. "Please bring me Pathstalker Ralsir." After he bowed and left the room, she sat in her study and wait.

"My lady, you wished to speak with me?" Said voice behind her; Jaina beckoned him to have a seat.

"Yes I did Ralsir; I'm going to get right to things here. I have an assignment for you." Ralsir leaned forward in interest."

"What would you have of me my lady?" Jaina smiled at him.

"You are aware of the human you served with but moments ago?" Ralsir looked at the ceiling in his own little attempt at thought searching.

"I admire his skills, he is a valuable ally." Jaina nodded

"Correct, that is why I have summoned you. I have recently learned from King Varian that Dante is traveling to the Horde capitals to negotiate with them." Ralsir's eyes scrunched in confusion.

"But, why? wasn't he just here, laying waste to the Sin'dorei not even three hours ago?" Jaina closed her eyes and nodded her head.

"From what I hear he is honor and oath bound to two Pandaren who have volunteered to the Argent Crusade to aid in negotiations." Ralsir was still a little confused, but could understand the values of an oath. "Why I have called you here is for this. I don't trust the Horde, even for a second. I have no doubt that their lives will be in danger at every corner. What I want you to do is to follow them, keep yourself hidden in the shadows and keep them safe, especially Dante. I will have need of his skills when the time comes."

The High Elf stood from his chair and saluted. "It shall be done my lady." Jaina made a motion for him to leave and he made his way out of the chambers. Jaina watched him leave with a hopeful smile on her face as she turned herself back to her studies.

**(A/N) Well there you have it, my next chapter. Things are getting good aren't they? I'm sorry for making you guys wait for so long. Normally I work six days a week and when I don't work I'm either passed out from exhaustion, playing WoW, or doing yard work. I promise to devote more of my time to this. I will prove this by having the next chapter up very soon. Also, to the people who don't know, the Alliance side of the Trail of the Crusader and Icecrown Citadel has been marked by the Blizzard Devs as the Canon side; I'm just adding my own little tweaks here and there. Thanks and have a great night.**


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